Palladium, Platinum ETFs Are Almost Here

Michael Johnston submits:ETF Securities (ETFS) indicated in a filing with the SEC last week that financial firm Susquehanna Capital Group has bought 100,000 shares of its proposed first-ever platinum ETF, with delivery expected by the end of this week. Susquehanna has also purchased 100,000 shares of a physically-backed palladium ETF proposed by ETFS. According to an October SEC filing, ETFS planned to register about 12.9 million shares of its palladium fund with a maximum offering price per share of $19.40. Susquehanna will also serve as the lead market maker for the new products, which came a step closer to becoming reality on December 22 when the SEC approved a rule change to list and trade shares of the trusts proposed by the London-based ETF issuer.Complete Story »

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Michael Johnston submits:Platinum and palladium prices jumped to recent highs last week on news that regulators had taken an important step towards allowing London-based ETF Securities (ETFS) to list physically-backed ETFs linked to the metals to trade on U.S. exchanges.

Michael Johnston submits:ETF Securities, the London-based firm that holds a big slice of market share on the European ETF scene, has established itself as a formidable player in the U.S. market in its first year in the game.

ETF Database submits: As the U.S. economy continues to struggle and more intervention from the Fed seems inevitable, the dollar has been battered in currency markets. The greenback has already lost close to 8% over the past few months against the world’s other major currencies, and while a Chinese rate hike earlier this week helped to temporarily stem the losses, the downward has now resumed.

Michael Johnston submits:When ETF Securities finally cleared the last of the regulatory hurdles last year and geared up to introduce the first physically-backed platinum and palladium ETFs, investor interest quickly surged. Although futures-based exposure to platinum had been available for several years, exposure to physical bullion prices represents an entirely different asset class–apparently one that investors were eager to access.

Michael Johnston submits:ETF Securities, the European ETF giant that has now accumulated more than $2 billion in U.S. ETF assets, announced the latest addition to its product line on Friday. The ETFS Physical Precious Metal Basket Shares (GLTR) will be the first U.S.-based, physically backed precious metal basket ETP.

Michael Johnston submits:ETF Securities, the giant in the European ETF scene that made the jump to the U.S. market last year, announced this week that it plans to issue new shares of two of its most popular physically-backed commodity ETFs.

Michael Johnston submits:Perhaps no corner of the ETF market has exploded as rapidly as the precious metals space, as the democratization of an asset class previously off limits to many investors has resulted in billions of dollars in cash inflows. The SPDR Gold Trust (GLD) is now the second-largest ETF by total assets, with more than $53 billion under management.